MyccoHaccers: Flowers In The Wildfire (2023 Workbook)

The Behavioral Difficulties Office (Drabble From Prompt)

Flowers In the Wildfire takes place when Gwythyr is between 40 - 50. This drabble takes place when they are around 20, as a way to flesh out their earlier experiences. Note: Gwythyr uses he/they pronouns interchangeably, so that's not a mistake - but I am experimenting with how to make it explicitly clear who is being talked about when.
Written from the prompt in this Tumblr post:
https://www.tumblr.com/write-it-motherfuckers/722691017249357824/person-a-i-thought-youd-be-taller-person-b

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"I thought you'd be taller." The bespectacled man sits, well-groomed and tidily situated, behind a barren green glass desk. The clean grey walls are similarly sparse, with recessed lighting casting a mild white glow all along the corners. He offers a friendly smile as he assesses the young student in the doorway.
- 160 cm, give or take a few.
- Identification pin: upside down.
- Shoelaces: Not applicable. See below.
- Shoes: entirely missing.
- Uniform: more soil than fabric visible.

"And I thought you'd be less of a dick. Looks like we're both full of disappointments."

The older man suppresses a smile, an easy enough feat with his thick grey beard. "Mm. An interesting opening line - though I'd heard you were quite the young poet, Gwythyr." The older man's points toward a chair across from his desk. "Should I presume that you know what to do with this device?"

The Adran's smile fades to something more neutral when he notices a swift emotional change come over the student. He watches with head tilted to the side, making a judgement-free note of every detail.

Gwythyr straightens up to their full non-threatening height now, bare fingertips pressing deeply into their gloved palms. They glare at the Lead Adran of Behavioral Difficulties Department, Carmarthen division. A resolve to say nothing briefly manifests in Gwythyr's mind, only to be dissolved by more urgent priorities. 'I thought you'd be taller' repeats in their mind the moment they try to silence their thoughts, a certain logical discrepancy becoming increasingly obvious every time it echoes. The tension of anxiety builds itself like a fire, starting deep in Gwythyr's chest, quickly spreading to across their torso. Breathing becomes clipped and difficult.

The Adran speaks in the most neutral tone he can manage. "Gwythyr?"

They lift their forearms, repetitively rotating their hands, scrunching up their facial features while while sinking inward. Eyes firmly shut, cheeks & lips pulled back to facilitate a very precisely launched torrent of words.
"Just fuck off forever, alright? You're supposed to read my pissing files before interrupting my whole fucking shit to demand I have a meeting with you!"
The Adran raises an eyebrow. "What makes you think I didn't read-"
"Opening line."  Gwythyr makes finger quoters as they repeat in a higher pitched mocking tone: "I thought you'd be taller."
that most certainly doesn't sound anything like the Adran's thin, baritone voice. "Fuck the fuck off with that shit! Don't pull me away from important shit so you can practice for open mic night!"

Gwythyr takes a deep breath, and replaces hand flapping with tapping their thumbs to their middle fingertips. They manage to take a few deep breaths. When they finally speak again, their voice is quieter, more flat.
"I have a right to deal only with N2 counselors. I'm not talking with an N1."
The Adran nods. "You're observant. All the N2 counselors were busy." He points to himself. "N1B* - next best thing, and a legally valid alternative" He then gestures towards the chair again, "I'll cut the small talk if you'll sit."

Gwythyr is slow to comply, eyeing the Adran suspiciously the whole time. The chair is small and straight-backed, meant to encourage attention and proper posture. They set about the task of trying out off-label positions in an effort to be comfortable. They manage to sink down enough that they can rest their head against the top of the chair back, and they cross their arms across their chest.